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Learn to use 3 mobile payment apps

By Dana Fowle
Published  November 18, 2016 4:17pm EST
News
FOX 5 Atlanta

ATLANTA - There are so many tried and true ways to buy gifts this holiday season - in store, online, and through apps. But there are new ways to pay.

Forever we paid in cash. Then we swiped a credit card. And now we can pay through our phones. Digital wallets can be faster and keep you from carrying cash.

But some of you might be like me, I'm not that familiar with what's available, so I'm learning with you here. I've plucked three more widely used digital wallet apps to show you.  We are going to highlight two Android apps - Android Pay and Samsung Pay - and an Apple app called - you guessed it - Apple Pay. 

Let's start with iPhones. Apple has an app called "Wallet" where many of you already store coupons, rewards cards, movie tickets and boarding passes. But if you have an iPhone 6 or 7, you can put Apple Pay in that wallet, too.  It's like adding a credit card to your wallet. And, of course, it only works on the iPhone.  

Android Pay has the advantage of being able to work with any Android phone, newer models, of course. It holds rewards and gift cards as well as debit and credit cards.  Tap. Pay and just like that it's done. This is how they all work. Paying with a digital wallet, whichever one you use, is really that easy. 

And this takes us to Samsung Pay. It's an Android app, too, but only for Samsung models. It's an all-in-one app. You open the screen and get a menu for selecting credit cards, loyalty and gift cards. You use all of these apps similarly: You activate it then put in some verification - like a thumb print or a PIN - then you load your cards to the device and use it. 

Now that's how they are similar. Let me show you how they are different from one another.

APPLE PAY 

  • Only works with Apple products
  • Only works with near field communication (NFC) terminals 
  • App opens automatically at terminal 
  • Can use as payment option in other apps 
  • Syncs with Apple Watch 

ANDROID PAY 

  • Used as NCF terminals, which are at most big box stores
  • Like Apple Pay, can be used as in-app payment
  • Useful on all Android smartphones 

SAMSUNG PAY

  • Only works on Samsung phones
  • Useful on NCF terminals and magnetic strips 
  • Extra layer of security: requires thumb print or PIN activation 
  • No in-app payment option